


The other part of me

by ToTheStarsWriting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Awesome Magnus Bane, Dragon Riders, First Meetings, Fluff, Insecure Alec, M/M, Magnus meets Alec's dragon, Second dates, Short, early malec, grumpy little dragons, that's all there is to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28366821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheStarsWriting/pseuds/ToTheStarsWriting
Summary: Alec decides it's time to let Magnus meet the most important person in his life. He just hopes it all goes well.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Dragon, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 14
Kudos: 327





	The other part of me

For the most Alec could honestly say it hadn’t been deliberate. He hadn’t actively been trying to avoid introducing Magnus and Merlyn to one another. It was just – things had been a bit interesting right from the get go, and there hadn’t exactly been a moment for him to do it.

At least, that was what Alec liked to tell himself. Merlyn didn’t exactly agree.

“It’s not like I’m going to try eating him,” the currently small dragon pointed out. She was lying on top his armoire in his bedroom, one of her favorite little nests that she’d made. She liked to lay there and stare at him from the shadows. Jace liked to joke that she chose the perch so she could sit up high and glare down at everyone in judgment.

Alec snorted at her remark. He was seated on the foot of the bed so that he could pull on his socks. “I didn’t think you would.”

“You just don’t want me judging him.”

There was no way he could argue that. Magnus and he hadn’t exactly gotten to know one another a whole lot yet. They’d managed _one_ date together – a miracle that they’d managed to do it not only under their dual crazy schedules but that they’d also managed to do it without Merlyn tagging along. But they were about to go on their second date, and Alec knew he couldn’t leave Merlyn behind again. Not this time.

Normally the two of them were pretty inseparable. The only thing that had kept her back so far was the fact that she was usually their lookout while Alec was inside places. Merlyn was able to be both large and small the same way that other dragons could, so she would’ve been able to shrink down and come inside with him, but the both of them preferred to stay back and up high so that they could watch over everyone.

Plus, their bond was stronger than most. While all dragon-rider Pairs had some form of communication through their bond – be it words, emotions, or images passed between them – very rarely were they able to do it at any sort of distance. The furthest Alec knew of was a few hundred feet. Alec and Merlyn could mindspeak at a distance of a few _miles_ , possibly more. They hadn’t tested it. That made them perfect for lookout or scouting positions.

Merlyn let out a low huff that drew Alec's attention back up toward her. She’d shifted enough so that her head was hanging over the edge of the armoire so that she could better glare at him. It had the opposite effect than she’d intended. As Alec looked up at her, he found his lips curving, and he marveled yet again that someone like him had found such a _beautiful_ dragon.

Her scales were dark, as black as Alec's runes, but they shone with hints of light, like stars peeking out here and there. Glimpses of the pure white inner fire she carried – one that could burn through pretty much everything when she breathed it out. She was smooth, with the only spikes or spines on her kept to the elbow joint of her wings. The rest of her was smooth and cool, like the polished jewel Alec liked to think of her as. She was so very beautiful to him, and so very unique.

There were countless different types of dragons out there. Alec had studied every dragon book he could get his hands on while growing up. He’d looked at the various pictures and had wondered over and over what type of dragon he would end up with. Would he get a fire dragon like his mother, or a water dragon like his father?

Color meant so much in dragon lore, at least amongst the shadowhunters. People with white dragons were said to be pure of heart. Having a gold dragon was a sign of status and wealth. Those with fire breeds, the oranges and reds, were said to have a fierce temper, to be strong warriors. The water breeds were known for calm, compassion, and healing. Each breed, each classification, carried certain traits to them, and were said to reveal traits about their riders.

It was no surprise to anyone that Jace ended up bonded to a crossbreed – a mixture of a gold and a red. A sunstone, they were known as. Bright, bright gold, like someone had melted gold down to make her scales, accented by the red the color of rubies on her wings, her belly, and in the spikes and spines that decorated her head and the tip of her tail. Allise was younger, impetuous, and a perfect match for Jace’s sunny disposition and fierce protective streak. The two were like _peas in a pod_ , as Maryse had been known to say, smiling proudly as she did.

Isabelle was bonded to a seastorm dragon – a cross between a water dragon and an elemental storm dragon. He was a beautiful deep, dark blue, with lighter hints here and there shining out of his scales like ripples in the water, and electric streaks that flashed in his eyes. He was long and thin, with four legs and four wings, and no spikes or spines anywhere. Narill was calm and kind, just like Isabelle, right up until the point that someone pissed him off.

Alec, Isabelle, and Jace had all bonded to their dragons on the same dragon-run, when she was fourteen and Alec was sixteen. They’d gone to the dragon grounds together, the same as every other Shadowhunter between the ages of thirteen and seventeen. Isabelle and Jace had found their dragons hanging out together at the very center of the dragon grounds. They’d just arrived there to give the dragon-run a try, having spent the last few overseas. The fact that the two were already friends had left the two teens more than a little happy.

Alec had found Merlyn tucked away at the back. She, too, had recently been at the other dragon grounds, though she’d been in Ireland instead of over in South America the way the other two had. She’d also been to the dragon-grounds of Idris before. Years and years ago. But she’d happened to feel the pull to come back that year, and Alec would be forever grateful that she had.

They were what was considered a _unique_ pairing, looks wise, at least. Most dragons out there were a crossbreed of some sort – it was far more common to find a dragon with mixed heritage than it was to find one even close to purebred. But Merlyn was not only a purebred, she was also a _rare_ breed. She was what was classified as a _celestial._ The breed of dragon considered closest to the angels.

Rumors had been that their breed had died out. Some considered it a sign of the angels’ displeasure in them. It was part of the justification Valentine had used to bring Shadowhunters over to his side, citing that the only way they were going to be able to gain back the angels’ favor was to purify the world that they’d let become overrun by demonic forces.

Merlyn’s appearance, and her subsequent bonding to a _Lightwood_ of all people, had been a sort of game changer. Some took it as a sign that Valentine had been right to try what he did, while others believed that since she returned _after_ Valentine’s death it was a sign that the angels were happy he’d been stopped.

Though it was bad, and something that he would never admit to anyone but her, Alec didn’t really care either way how they took her return. All he’d cared about at the time was the feeling of the bond smoothly sliding into place inside him, and the warmth of his dragon filling up all those empty places inside of him that he hadn’t even realized had been hurting so much.

That feeling of warmth had never gone away. Alec still felt it now, years later, as he smiled up at her.

Merlyn huffed out a low, raspy laugh, and her silver eyes dance with mirth while she flooded their bond with all the love she felt for him. “I love you, but you’re ridiculous. Do you really want to keep Magnus waiting?” Her lips quirked up just enough to show a quick flash of sharp white teeth in a smile that Jace said made her look like she was ready to rip someone apart and whistle while she did it. “Or do you wanna risk someone coming in and finding _something_ for you to do before you get the chance to leave?”

That last part was enough to get Alec moving again. He quickly yanked on his boots and tied the laces. He’d had to miss two dates with Magnus already just because he hadn’t been quick enough or sneaky enough to get out of the Institute without being caught by someone else. He wasn’t going to risk that again.

Clearly Merlyn thought the same thing. When Alec was finally ready, dressed in clothes that Isabelle had deemed _sufficient, considering what clothes we have to work with_ , Merlyn flew down from her perch and draped herself over the back of Alec's neck. As she did, Alec could feel her magic settling over his skin like a well-worn cloak. One that he knew without her even having to tell him would keep them hidden from sight.

Merlyn must’ve been able to feel Alec's amusement in their bond. As he started to make his way out of their room, she nuzzled her head in against the side of his chin. **_I’m not risking anyone stopping us. I’ve barely gotten a chance to see your warlock. The most I saw of him was at the end of the wedding-that-wasn’t._**

Her mind voice was a bit disgruntled at the end. Merlyn hadn’t been at Alec's wedding. She’d been too angry at him, too pissed off at the choice he was making with his life, and so she’d flown above as a _sentry_ as her way of silently protesting the choice he’d made. The fact that his dragon had felt the need to protest that hard had been one of the reasons behind Alec's wakeup call. It was also one of the things that had helped keep the Clave from coming down on him too hard. They were reluctant to do anything that might piss her off.

 _Be nice,_ Alec warned her. _This is important to me, Merlyn. I want you to like him._

It wasn’t hard to admit that to her. Not when he knew she’d likely already seen that in him anyway. There was very little that was kept out of their bond.

Humming happily in their bond, Merlyn nuzzled in again. **_You care about him, at least a little, and he clearly makes you happy. Why wouldn’t I like him?_**

Alec moved carefully down the hall, well used to this bit of her magic and what its limitations were. He’d stay hidden so long as he didn’t draw attention to himself by being too noisy, running into anyone, or by speaking out loud. She was blocking them from sight, not muffling their sound. That took more energy and wasn’t always perfect, and she only really did that when they were on a hunt.

The two of them easily got out of the Institute without anyone bothering them. Only when they were outside and almost a block away did Merlyn let go of the glamour she’d shielded them with.

She adjusted her perch as they walked, moving from laying around Alec's neck like a scarf to climbing up so that her bottom half sat on his shoulder and her upper half was resting on top of his head. It was a favorite position of hers. She was able to be perched up high, and her smaller size let her do it without squashing Alec's head.

Like this, she was barely larger than a kitten. Something which amused Alec. Dragons could change their size at will, though they had a form that was smallest and one that was their largest. Anything between that was open game. Often, Merlyn chose to be in her smallest form, or in a medium size that was just a bit bigger than a horse. Just the right size for riding.

With her like this, the two of them had long ago perfected how to keep balanced so that she didn’t risk clawing him by sliding off his head. Alec easily adjusted his stance so he’d better be able to support her as she walked.

“Tell me a little about your warlock,” Merlyn said. Alec could feel it as she twisted enough that she wasn’t just standing on his head, but resting her chin in his hair right between her front feet. “Do you think he’ll like me?”

Alec blinked a few times in surprise at that question. “What? Of course he’ll like you! Why wouldn’t he?”

He felt it as Merlyn snorted and it ruffled his hair. “People rarely _like_ us.”

There was no way to argue that. Alec couldn’t deny her words. They were both self-aware enough – not self-deprecating, no matter what Isabelle said – to know and accept that they had rather abrasive personalities. While people might not have agreed that Alec and Merlyn matched up the way most did, they couldn’t deny that the two shared a very similar personality. A sharp, often acerbic, very blunt personality that didn’t endear them to many people.

“Magnus likes me,” Alec pointed out. He didn’t quite understand _why_ Magnus liked him, especially after everything he put the warlock through, but for some reason Magnus _did._ It would stand to reason that he’d like Merlyn, too.

Merlyn gave a hum but didn’t say anything else. He knew that she was worried about Magnus liking her because he was someone that Alec liked, but she wasn’t necessarily worried about him liking her for her own sake. Much like Alec, Merlyn felt little need to be friends with a bunch of people. They had their family and that was enough for them. Sure, she’d be willing to expand it, but she wasn’t seeking it out. She’d try, for Alec's sake, and Alec had hopes that she’d like Magnus, too. But he’d take indifference if it was all he could get. Just so long as the two didn’t hate one another, he’d be happy.

* * *

Their walk didn’t feel like it took very long. They enjoyed the time together, just being able to walk and enjoy each other’s presence without something stressing them out, demanding their attention, or threatening them in some way.

Merlyn moved so that she was fully on top of Alec's head. He could feel her claws gently pushing against his scalp. She had to have done something to keep from clawing him because he knew better than anyone how well those claws could rip through just about anything.

“He lives _here_?” Merlyn asked.

Alec stopped outside the building and pulled out his phone, sending up a quick text the way Magnus had told him to. There was no need to get buzzed in and walk up the stairs if they were only going to walk right back out again. “There’s nothing wrong with where he lives.”

She snorted again. “I just didn’t expect the High Warlock of Brooklyn to live in some random _apartment building_.”

“As opposed to where?” a new voice asked.

A smile was already on Alec's lips when he looked up from his phone. He couldn’t quite hold in the response. Just the sound of Magnus’ voice was enough to draw it out of him. Seeing the man only made that smile grow. Magnus looked – he looked stunning, just as he always did. He was dressed in blues and blacks, hair spiked up and makeup dark. He looked like a bit of night brought down for simple little mortals to admire.

The bond hummed with humor and affection. **_You’re such a sap sometimes. But you’re not wrong, either. He is pretty. I’d keep him._**

Thankfully, Merlyn didn’t actually say that out loud. Alec wasn’t sure how much Magnus understood about dragons and the way they viewed the world. To her, that was a high compliment. To most people, it probably would’ve come off sounding at least vaguely threatening.

“I don’t know,” Merlyn finally answered. She gave a shrug that Alec could both feel and hear. “Somewhere a bit more grand, maybe?”

Magnus didn’t look offended by her words. If anything, he looked amused, his lips quirked up ever so slightly on one side. He came forward and closed the last little bit of distance between them until he was standing close enough that Alec could feel the heat of him. Then he surprised Alec completely by laying a hand on his arm and leaning in to press a chaste kiss against Alec's cheek. “Hello, darling,” he murmured in greeting. Then he pulled back and looked up at Merlyn once more. “My home is grand enough, I think, at least for Magnus Bane. The High Warlock is a bit more suited to other venues.”

That was a distinction that Alec had begun to notice while on their date. He’d seen quite the difference in the man he’d enjoyed a meal with to the one he’d seen inside of Pandemonium, or even at the loft with the memory demon. In those moments he’d been Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn. On their date he’d just been _Magnus_. And just Magnus made Alec far less nervous.

“So you’re saying you’re just a simple man with simple tastes?” Merlyn asked incredulously.

Alec's sharp “Merlyn!” was cut off by Magnus _laughing_. “Magic, no! While I might not be as extravagant as the persona I put on for others, I am by no means _simple_ , my dear. If anything, I believe those that know me would label me as _high maintenance_.”

The way Magnus said that, the little curl to his lip and the faint wrinkle to his nose, showed that the comment hit a little harder than he’d likely intended for them to see.

Alec couldn’t resist the urge to reach out just enough that his fingers brushed against Magnus’ hand. When Magnus looked at him, Alec smiled. “We don’t mind a little high maintenance.”

“Have you _met_ our siblings?” Merlyn chimed in.

It made Magnus laugh, which was a much better look than the shadows that had been lurking there. Alec smiled, and he felt the warmth from Merlyn in their bond that said she was pleased, too. It looked like she was already starting to like him.

“I have, actually, and they were quite lovely,” Magnus said politely, with a twinkle in his eye that gave him away. Then he leaned in and slipped his hand into the crook of Alec's elbow, drawing them side-by-side. “But nowhere near as lovely as you, darling.”

Alec felt his cheeks warm a little even as he snorted.

“Oh, that was smooth,” Merlyn complimented him. She pushed up on Alec's head, and then stepped daintily down onto the shoulder closest to Magnus. A moment later she was moving from Alec's shoulder to Magnus’, and Alec didn’t even get a chance to try and stop her or warn Magnus about what her claws might do to his clothes – there was a reason Alec wore a thick leather jacket more often than not.

But Magnus didn’t even seem the least bit bothered. He didn’t flinch away from the touch as Merlyn brushed her head up against the side of his face in what was, for her, a friendly bump mixed in with a bit of scent marking. Something she shouldn’t have been doing. One of her wings touched up on his hair, and she drew it back quickly, shifting back so fast she almost fell off his shoulder.

A scowl grew on her face when she looked up at Magnus’ hair. “Your hair is too spiky.”

To his credit, Magnus managed not to laugh, though he was grinning. “I wasn’t expecting to gain myself a passenger.”

Merlyn’s huff let them know exactly what she thought of _that_. Without another word, she ducked her head down and curled around the back of Magnus’ neck, draping herself there the same way she liked to do with Alec. That move more than anything else let Alec know just how much she already approved of Magnus. She was sitting with him in a way that she did with no one else. In doing so, she gave her silent approval.

That had Alec's smile brightening. When Magnus turned to ask “Shall we?” there was no way Alec could keep from bending down to steal a kiss. One that he was happy to see left Magnus looking a little dazed when he pulled back.

“Yeah,” Alec said, grinning. “Let’s go.”

The night was suddenly looking up quite a bit. He had a beautiful man on his arm, smiling at him and touching him like it was a genuine pleasure for him to be here with _Alec_ of all people. His dragon was with him, and clearly already liked Magnus. No one had called to say there was trouble, or that they needed him for an emergency of some sort. Not even Clary ad her plethora of issues had intruded on their moment.

Alec let himself sink into the moment. He gathered every bit of it, every little detail, and held them close to his heart where he kept all the good things in his life. The things that were for him and him alone.

This was one memory Alec knew would help to keep him going through whatever else this war wanted to throw his way.

No matter what happened, he was always going to remember how it felt to walk with Magnus on his arm, the warlock’s free hand waving through the air while he told some story about a deal gone bad, with Merlyn’s head between them as she laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading - be sure to let me know what you think!
> 
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